First, an important clarification: The Pioneer Woman Cooks is not meant to be an encyclopedia of innovative gourmet recipes. It is a reflection of what is going on in my kitchen day in and day out, whether that’s necessarily thrilling or not.

*The above disclaimer has never been more applicable than it is right now.*

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

My girls left yesterday for a whole week, which means I’m the only female around our homestead (well, except for Daisy the Cow) for the next seven days. This is scary and I’m frightened at what it all will mean. Channels will be turned to sports and superheros and bowling. I’ll have no one to talk to who can relate to my femininity and femaleness and feminineness and feminista-ism. I’ll be all alone in the house with nothing but three unruly boys, fifty dirty socks, and a stinky Basset Hound to keep me company.

Or three stinky boys, fifty dirty socks, and an unruly Basset Hound.

Or dirty boys, unruly socks, and a dirty Basset Hound.

Anyway.

I had a busy weekend (more on this on Confessions later), then was gone all day yesterday delivering my girls to their destination. When I arrived home at 7:00 last night, Marlboro Man and the boys were sitting at the dining table and banging their forks. I felt doomed and began to cry.

Then I got my second wind and made them beef and bean burritos, which took exactly sixteen minutes to get on the table. And I cracked up, reflecting that it was but the first of what will surely be a week-long fest of brown and plentiful food.

I’m sharing these process photos with you, not because this recipe is complicated and requires a pictorial tutorial—but because this is The Pioneer Woman Cooks…and the photos depict The Pioneer Woman, cooking.

Amen.

Ground beef and diced onions. Brown in a large skillet. Drain off excess fat (leave a little bit for flavor!) and add whatever seasonings you like: garlic, cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt. I tend to go easy on the seasonings for my picky crew, but go for it if yours can handle it!

El Pato tomato sauce—sold in the Mexican food aisle. You can use regular canned enchilada sauce, but this stuff is my favorite. It’s a tomato sauce spiked with chilies, onions, garlic, and cilantro and it just has a nice rich quality I haven’t been able to find in most enchilada sauces. It has a nice authentic Mexican flavor to it.

Pour in one can to about two pounds ground beef. This’ll give the meat a little flavor and spice, but it doesn’t just overtake the whole thing.

Let the meat simmer while you get the other ingredients ready. You can splash in a little water if it looks like it’s getting dry.

Yes. You heard me.

Sure, you can make your own. But you try making homemade refried beans while the three men in your life are pounding a dining table with eating utensils. It can’t be done, I tell you!

Dump the beans into a pan and start warming them on the stove.

Grate up some cheddar…

And dump it on in.

Stir it up until the cheese melts. Add a little more if you think it needs it. And you can season the beans if you’d like…but I tend to like to leave them plain. The cheese gives them all the salt they need, and if you pile on too much Mexican seasoning, the burritos will be overpowered.

Finally, nuke some burrito-size flour tortillas for about a minute or so. You want them to be soft and pliable.

Spread on some warm beans…

And some of the yummy meat.

NOTE: If I was making this for myself, I would also add the following inside the burrito:

But if I tried doing that for my three boys, they’d seriously call the sheriff.

Fold over the ends…

(Do you know how difficult this is to do with one hand? I never knew this until last night.)

Roll it over…

And place them on a plate.

Now, you can either spoon some of the meat over the top (which is yummy), or (if you like things a little simpler) you can just drizzle on a little more of the sauce.

Sprinkle on more grated cheese…

And nuke it for about a minute, until the cheese is melted and the burrito is very hot. And that’s it for my bunch! Serve this with a big green salad with lots of carrot slices and a big glass of milk and you’ve got a meal fit for a king.

Well, three kings.

Don’t tell them I called them kings, please. It’ll go straight to their heads.

By the way, if you need to dress this up a little bit for yourself—and I definitely had to dress mine up—just sprinkle on a whole bunch of cilantro leaves. You wouldn’t believe how much flavor it adds.

Listen. I know this isn’t going to win any culinary awards for innovation. But for a sixteen-minute meal, it was pretty darn delicious.

I’ll share more of my I’m-Stuck-on-a-Ranch-With-Three-Boys meals as they happen this week. And while you won’t necessarily be bowled over by the brilliance of it all, you might come away with a few more sixteen-minute meals for your arsenal.

And if you have small humans in your house, you can’t have too many of those.

Spread a small amount of beans on each tortilla. Add meat. Fold over ends, then roll up. Place two burritos on a microwave-safe plate. Drizzle red sauce over the top and sprinkle with more grated cheddar. Microwave for one minute, or until cheese is melted and burritos are very hot. Serve immediately.

OPTIONAL: Fill burritos with any optional ingredients you like. (I love them full, but my boys like them very plain.)

I whipped this out for my brood this evening. They loved it (and so did I)!! Thanks so much for such a quick and tasty meal that you can make as plain or dressed up as you want!

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genlaren On Tuesday, July 13 at 6:24 pm

I made these tonight and they were great! I found the El Pato sauce in my local grocery store here in MI. The sauce has a nice rich tomato and spicy flavor. It’s definitely got some heat to it. But, it’s a nice warm heat. My husband and I just loved these. Another great way to use ground beef when it’s on sale. Thank you, Ree.

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Kim On Tuesday, July 13 at 6:50 pm

I absolutely love your comments about being home with nothing but your three kings! That’s my everyday life….no females at my house except for the junkyard dogs in the backyard. And for my three kings, this is “gourmet” eating!!

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Cassie S. On Tuesday, July 13 at 6:53 pm

Made these for dinner tonite. While they didn’t come out as pretty as yours, they sure were yummy! My 4 year old even made a “happy plate”!

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Tricia dent On Tuesday, July 13 at 7:07 pm

Thanks so much for the idea!!! I have three unruly boys myself plus a husband. This will be the perfect quick dinner for tonight!! I needed a quicky – it couldn’t have come at a better time. Thanks!!!!

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Michelle B. On Tuesday, July 13 at 7:29 pm

We had this for dinner last night… it was so easy and very very good! My husband loved it, thank you!!!

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Nancy S On Tuesday, July 13 at 7:35 pm

Thanks for the tomato sauce/enchilada sauce hint!

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Andrea Rayna On Tuesday, July 13 at 7:47 pm

When you post yummy looking things like it it makes me sad that

a) I don’t like Mexican food.

and

b) that I think Cilantro tastes like laundry soap.

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Cecilia On Tuesday, July 13 at 10:05 pm

I made these last night and we devoured them!! They were wonderful…..thanks for the new favorite!

This looks great, I will make these after the bow-tie pasta dish you posted today. Can’t wait for the rest of the week.

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Mindy On Wednesday, July 14 at 9:39 am

Wow – delicious, I will never use anything but El Pato sauce and fresh cilantro again. My husband is so happy I found your site, big thumbs up!

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Katy On Wednesday, July 14 at 9:59 am

This looks absolutely yummy! Desperately want to try this but I live in the Scottish hills so there is no Mexican tomato sauce or Enchilada sauce available up here. Any suggestions of how to make my own or any British substitutes. (PS I bought your cookbook while on vacation in Sarasota and I LOVE it!)

I made these last night, but with black beans instead of refried, since the texture of mushed up beans freaks my boyfriend out. I used 2% cheese and whole wheat tortillas, and they were fabulous! Thanks, P-Dub!

318

Ann On Wednesday, July 14 at 4:25 pm

My daughter was at a friend’s house last night so I had 3 hungry boys to feed as well as myself. I was thrilled to find the El Pato tomato sauce at the first place I looked! So my plan for beef and bean burritos was a go. After the first comment of “Holy smokes these are hot!” (which actually sounded more like “Hoey mokes ees are HA!” since he had a mouthful of food) the rave reviews started pouring in. There was even a comment today to the absent sister about what a good dinner she missed last night. Okay, the motivation for said comment may have been more to pick a fight, but nonetheless these are sure to have a regular rotation in our dinner menus! Thanks!

319

Susan On Wednesday, July 14 at 6:12 pm

These were a big hit with my family tonight! Thanks so much for the great recipe.

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jenni matthewson On Wednesday, July 14 at 8:04 pm

Ree, my girls went to sleep over at Grandma’s tonight so I thought I’d try something “brown and lots of it” on my three men. I made the beef and bean burritos. I thought they were a little hot, but the males snarfed them down like it was manna from heaven! They didn’t even comment about the green stuff sprinkled on top (my hubby noticed and said this is what has been missing from the avacadoes). Cilantro is hard to find here!

Cecilia On Thursday, July 15 at 12:53 am

Wow, these were so yummy and simple! My picky kids even loved them! I used ground turkey even. Thanks, and love that sauce better than the enchilada sauce.

324

Jewel Calibaba On Thursday, July 15 at 3:09 am

Made these tonight and they were AWESOME! Here in British Columbia we don’t have El Pato sauce, so I just mixed a little tomato sauce into a can of enchilada sauce and it was perfect! I had mine with the Pico de Gallo all over the top and that was perfect! Thanks for these quick meals! The pasta dish is on tap for tomorrow!

Oh wow this is so super yummy. Had to make my own mexican tomato sauce as do not have anything like that here and have discovered I have no talent when it comes to rolling up things – bugger – but who cares as it tastes so wonderful

326

Shannon On Thursday, July 15 at 8:21 am

These look heavenly..especially with all the fresh cilantro! Cilantro makes everything a notch over good! Yum! Just an FYI- but Old El Paso makes a fat free refried beans that are very good..so if you use extra lean ground beef and the FF refried beans, it lightens them up a bit!! Can’t wait to try them!! Total comfort food!

Lori On Thursday, July 15 at 11:37 am

Made these last night and they were dee-lish! No Pato sauce (next time), but instead used a packet of Bearito taco seasoning in the ground beef. Also no cilantro since it had dried up in the heatwave we just had. Still good even with all of the changes/omissions! Thanks for the new meal idea!

329

Wees On Thursday, July 15 at 1:06 pm

There was a little local Mexican restuarant that served these when I was growing up in the 70s. They were called “Bandido Burritos.” My mom copied the recipe and they were a staple in our home. Now with my own home and family, Bandido Burritos are still a staple. Mom doesn’t make them much anymore so Dad always asks me to make them for him whenever he visits us or we visit them.

330

Willene Hall On Thursday, July 15 at 2:46 pm

I made these for my family tonight and I think they love me a little bit more than they did this morning. I had one bite (strict diet doesn’t allow PW food) and yes, these are VERY good! and I love how fast easy they are to make!!! thank you!

332

Leigh H On Thursday, July 15 at 8:55 pm

OMG! I just made these for dinner! My husband love, love, loved them! (so did I!) So easy and delish! Thanks for all the wonderful recipes that you post!

333

Sylvia D On Thursday, July 15 at 10:46 pm

Made these tonight and they were good! I have never bought El Pato sauce before but I liked it, definitely has a nice flavor to it. Thanks for the great recipe!

334

Lisa Serrano On Friday, July 16 at 12:44 am

I love El Pato I use it for chili con carne. Spicy yummy! Though if I tried to serve my mexican husband canned beans he’d……well I don’t know but I’m not willing to tempt him. So I compromise, I buy a good quality can of Pinto beans. Teasdale is good and smash them up my self add a little bacon grease and were good to go. Easy and it doesn’t have that canned refried bean taste. Not as good as his Mom’s but good enough.

YUM… I make mine very similar! dang… now I am hungry and it is late… I shouldn’t eat.. *sigh*

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Andrea On Friday, July 16 at 12:26 pm

Made these last night and YUM!!! Used mild enchilada sauce and skipped the cilantro but other than that I stayed true to your recipe. These will definitely stay on my short list of quick easy dinners!

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Anamarie On Friday, July 16 at 9:48 pm

I love that you know El Pato!! I use it for enchiladas, on eggs and almost anything. My favorite use is to shred roast chicken (homemade or storebought), mix with El Pato and a little low sodium chicken broth, and green onions and eat it as a taco filling. It’s perfect.

Patricia On Wednesday, July 21 at 1:39 pm

This is the first of your recipes I have tried, we loved them (including my picky 6yo)! Even had enough to make up extra burritos & tossed them in the freezer. Thanks for the tip on the El Pato brand sauce, I’ll be using that in a lot more dishes. We moms & non-gourmet cooks need more quick, easy & tasty meals. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.

I loved reading this! I have 2 boys (11 and 3) and a daughter (8) and one hungry husband! This will definitely hit the spot on those busy nights, especially now that soccer is starting soon, those practice nights are tough for good dinners.

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Ashley B. On Wednesday, August 4 at 8:14 pm

Made these tonight and they are a definite keeper. SO good. I used Hatch enchilada sauce instead of El Pato, and I added spanish rice (a pkg mix), cilantro, and olives. YUM! Thanks for the inspiration

346

frances mahan On Sunday, August 15 at 8:03 pm

Ree, this is my kind of food, keep up the quick recipes. Just love everything I have tried of yours. I did Sonic roll ups for lunch after Church today.

347

Kaye On Tuesday, August 17 at 6:07 pm

This receipe is GREAT! I just made it and my kids and I are sitting at the table enjoying it. I topped mine with sour cream, pico de Gallo, and fresh cilantro. Delicious

348

Shon On Tuesday, August 24 at 11:26 am

Can’t wait to make this for my hungry boy and his friends tonite! Thanks for sharing Ree!!!

349

julianniem On Wednesday, September 1 at 12:17 pm

This was a great recipe! My kids and husband devoured it. I didn’t microwave it, I put it in the oven for about 20 minutes, thus increasing the time but that was okay. Simple. Worth the extra minutes in the oven. Thanks!

350

Sharon On Wednesday, September 8 at 7:10 pm

I went on line because I was craving Mexican food, always count on you to find something, Anyways, went to the store to find the El Pato tomato sauce, which I finally did, but I ended up picking up the El Pato Salsa de Chile Fresco- turned out GREAT, except too hot to feed my 7 year old, so she opted for the bean buritto. Thanx!

351

CarmelValleyGirl On Friday, September 17 at 9:10 pm

Having these right now. Thanks for these, it was exactly what I was craving. Saved me lots of money too. The Taquria up the hill would have set me back $20 and my bill at the local market was $12. And there is a ton left and it was really yummy!!! Baked them for 10 min. topped with sauce, cheese, cilantro and diced home grown tomatoes. And a spoon of sour cream. KILLER

352

Annarose On Monday, October 4 at 2:32 am

I made these tonight and used the El Pato sauce. That sauce was incredible! I heated the beans in the pan with the ground beef to make it even easier. My husband loved these burritos too, I’ll make them again for sure because they were so good!

353

Dena White On Tuesday, October 5 at 5:31 pm

I’m cooking these tonight and so far they smell wonderful! I cheated and tasted everything as I was putting them together and I KNOW they are going to be GOOD! Thanks for the recipe!

354

Bella On Tuesday, October 5 at 7:33 pm

My husband did not like the flavor of the El Pato (really…….I don’t know what is wrong with him!!) But my stepdaughter and I loved this dish! It was a nice change from ordinary tacos and the cheese mixed into the refried beans…OMG. I’ll make this again. DH is just going to have to learn to like it!

If you are in not good state and have got no cash to go out from that point, you would require to receive the home loans. Because it would help you definitely. I get college loan every year and feel myself great because of that.

356

Gwenn On Monday, October 18 at 5:02 pm

Looking at all these beautiful photos of yummy food all I can think is: I need a better camera!

357

Kelly A. On Wednesday, October 20 at 9:29 am

My kids gobbled these up last night! I made a “spicy” batch with the El Pato and a “mild” batch for the youngest of my bunch. Instead of nuking them, I put them in the oven at 350 for a little while, while I was microwaving a bag of Spanish rice to go on the side. Great, easy, tasty recipe; perfect for a busy weeknight. Thanks PW!

358

Amanda Smart On Sunday, October 24 at 11:26 pm

Janet Martin On Wednesday, October 27 at 8:31 am

I would say that this is a perfect kid recipe, but my 3 grandsons spent the entire dinner picking out miniscule bits of minced cooked onion–I’ll grind it in the blender next time, because the flavor is definitely great. Love the El Pato tomato sauce, and thanks for the introduction. The adults in the family, however, wanted just a bit more heat–easy enough to fix–I passed around a warmed bowl of more El Pato.

360

Fryegal` On Sunday, October 31 at 12:02 pm

My whole family liked this. It was Yum! Thanks.

361

Amanda C On Sunday, October 31 at 7:22 pm

We’d never had El Pato before and I’m sorry to say it was way to spicy for my household…but on the other hand we absolutely loved everything else about these burritos and will make them again (with a different sauce). Keep them coming PW!

362

Renee Kellogg On Tuesday, November 2 at 2:17 pm

I just happened to check this section out…these burritos caught my eye, and the story with it. I too, am overwhelmed with stinky socks, male hormones, various male type clutter, an over abundance of whisker shavings in the bathroom..(we only have one) as I have three boys (two live here) and a grandson. I always have to keep in perspective that I am the example they have for a female (oh what pressure!). This helps me keep my heart and head focused. Anyway , thanks for the recipe..it is something I make on a semi-regular basis but I never thought to add the cheese to the beans…blessings, Renee

363

Tammy On Tuesday, November 2 at 2:31 pm

Glad to see El Pato being used in any recipe!!

I make a thing called “slimies” using El Pato mixed w/ cream of mushroom and just a little milk to make it a sauce. I pour it over bean burritos and add cheese on top and bake. I have a couple of El Pato recipes that are handy!!

This was amazing…but really do you make anything other than amazing? I don’t think so! Thanks Ree, my husband and I really enjoyed it….

Check out my blog I talk about you in it sometimes!

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Bonnie Obrynba On Thursday, November 4 at 7:20 am

I think after reading all the positive comments here you may be posting more 16 minute meals. I know you love to cook, but some of us really just do it cause we want good food to eat and no one else is going to make it if we don’t, so we learn to make better meals whether we want to or not. If I really had my way , I would have a chef to make my meals, which means figuring out what to fix, buying the fixings, and putting it together and cleaning it up,too, of course. But that will never happen so I depend on you , PW, to be my cheat sheet. Because you are such a good cook, it makes me a little better one By the way,” You had me at 16 minutes.”

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Amy On Thursday, November 4 at 11:10 am

It’s what’s for Lunch today!

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Linda B On Friday, November 5 at 12:26 am

I whipped these little babies up while I was in LA watching my 8 year old twin nephews while my sister vacationed in Cabo San Lucas (is that fair ?). Anyway, I love my nephews, am happy to babysit, and they BOTH loved the burritos ! Delicious meal! Thanks so much!